Negotiations of Antonement
by Lady Henrietta
Summary: Gul Dukat boards Deep Space Nine planning to turn Kai Winn away from the Prophets, until he himself encounters them.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: All Star Trek stuff and Star Trek characters are the private property of Paramount studios.

Negotiations of Atonement

Chapter 1: The Prophets

He stepped off the transport and shuffled onto the promenade with his bag. He set the bag down with a thud and glanced around the area for a moment. "It's good to be back," he said almost maliciously.

Dragging the bag over to Quark's bar, he sat on a stool. "What'll it be?" Quark asked without looking up.

"A bottle of Kanar," the man replied, setting a few strips of latinum on the counter.

When Quark returned with the bottle, he was surprised by his customer. He leaned on the counter and stared at the man, looking him in the eye. "Have we met before?" Quark questioned. The man shook his head. Quark took the money and handed the man a bottle, but stopped him before he left. "Not that it's any of my business but, what is a Bajoran doing with a bottle of Kanar?"

The stranger glared at Quark. "It isn't any of your business. Is this a bar or an inquisition? I happened to like Kanar," he left before Quark could respond.

He sat down at the table with a flute-like glass and the bottle of Kanar once he had reached his quarters. He glanced over at his fake identification. Anjohl, a Bajoran farmer, was his new identity. "To a new Bajor," he proclaimed, raising his glass.

As the liquid trickled down his throat with its usual bite, he thought about the people, about his peculiar fondness for them, and about their religious views. He sighed, regretting how he and his government had mistreated them in the past. The more he thought of them, the more he realized his curiosity regarding their temple. He resolved in that instant to visit the temple on the station.

Gul Dukat passed through the promenade to the temple, feeling apprehensive at first. If he were recognized, someone would most likely execute him, he reasoned. He passed through the curtain and realized that he was alone. He approached the orb and suddenly found himself in an eerie blue light, standing on the promenade.

Captain Benjamin Sisko and Colonel Kira Nerys faced him. It was then that Dukat noticed his skin: it was Cardassian skin. "Drop to your knees, Dukat! You are in the presence of the Prophets. Here we see you for what you really are," Sisko demanded.

Dukat complied. Kira walked over to him. "You have two choices: you can repent of your transgressions and turn to the Prophets or burn in the fire caves with the Pah wraiths whom we banished."

As he faced his fate, a realization occurred to him for the first time since his daughter's death: he had been wrong. He remembered all that he regretted and for the first time truly acknowledged his guilt. He could almost here the voices of those he had hurt demanding retribution. The guilt had finally begun to gnaw at him. "I, I wish to repent," he said to Kira.

Sisko approached him. "Do you remember what you have done?" Dukat slowly nodded.

"I have done some horrible things, so horrible that I do not deserve your forgiveness. I have misused my authority over the Bajoran people during the Occupation. I killed Jadzia Dax. I did not turn to the Prophets as I should have. I lost my daughter because of my own greed. I had evil intentions of manipulating Kai Winn. I implore your forgiveness and now that I understand the errors of my ways I wish to correct them," he explained.

Kira and Sisko nodded toward each other before he faced Dukat. "We forgive you. Live your simple life not seeking power and be wise in the ways of the Prophets. However, though we have forgiven you, in order to maintain your safety, you must seek _her_ forgiveness also. And as you ask her for mercy, she will see error of her ways," Sisko finished.

Dukat stood as Sisko walked away. "Whom do you speak of?"

"She who has become corrupt enough to stop listening to us," Kira answered.

Dukat abruptly found himself back in the temple, still in Bajoran disguise. He sighed, knowing what he had to do.

Kai Winn sat in her gold robes, knees crossed, sipping tea. "I'm here on this station for the Emissary's wedding and all I seem to be good for these days is talking to naïve pilgrims," she thought bitterly.

"Eminence? There is a man here to see you," her assistant Solbor interrupted her musings.

She sighed, mildly irritated. "Send him in," she stated with a wave of her hand.

When Winn caught sight of her guest, she nearly spilled her tea. She hastily set the cup down on the table and stood. Something about him caught her eye. He spoke first. "Forgive this slight intrusion, Eminence, but I have come here on a matter of personal importance," he attempted to explain.

Though Dukat looked Bajoran, Winn stared at him, at his eyes, for a long minute. "Have... we... met before?" she asked hesitantly.

He hid his apprehension well, wondering if she saw through his disguise. He shook his head and answered honestly. "No we have not. But it is an honor to make your acquaintance," he said, giving a slight nod of his head.

His display of politeness seemed to alleviate her reluctance. "Please, have a seat," she offered as she gestured to the sofa. She faced him after they were both seated. "What is it you seek?" she inquired.

Dukat looked down before facing her, not sure how he could really explain himself. Then an idea occurred. "Eminence, I have come on behalf of a friend who is too uncertain of himself to meet with you in person. It is required of him that he asks you forgiveness for his crimes," Dukat conveyed.

Winn raised an eyebrow. "But why did he not come himself?" she questioned.

Dukat sighed and almost seemed nervous for a moment. "Because he is Cardassian. He wanted me to ask your permission that he may seek your consultation," he admitted.

Sitting back for a moment, Winn spoke again. "Very well, I would prefer that he visit me himself anyway. But tell me, why and for what does a Cardassian want to seek a Bajoran leader's forgiveness?"

"A higher power instructed him to. It is better if explains the rest himself. When would be a good time to schedule an appointment?" Dukat requested.

"Probably twenty-two hundred hours," she consented.

Dukat nodded and stood. "That will be fine, I'm certain. Thank you, Eminence, for your time this evening." As he walked to the door, she felt compelled to follow him.

"Wait, will we meet again?" she asked.

He looked past her, then met her eyes. "We may in a different form," he replied as he left the room.

The following morning Dukat acquired a dermal regenerator and returned his skin to its natural Cardassian markings and shade of green. Walking with a hooded cape, he found his way to the station's agricultural department. He stepped up to the stiff Starfleet officer in charge of proceedings.

"Excuse me. Do you have any job openings?" Dukat asked hopefully.

The officer turned toward him and raised an eyebrow. "Yes we do, but why would you want to work here instead of somewhere more technical?"

"I have had enough adventures in my life. I just want simplicity now," Dukat replied.

Shrugging, the officer looked out at the other workers and then back at Dukat. "You would plant things and take care of them. The job is yours if you want it, but it might require manual labor at times," he finally said.

"That is fine with me. I accept," Dukat replied.

The officer nodded. "Now all I need is a name from you," he stated, handing a PADD to him. Dukat hesitated for a moment, but finally entered his name as Anjohl. He would begin work the following day.

Dukat wore a gray hooded robe that almost covered his entire face. The hood's material was such that he could see through it as he walked through the corridor to visit Winn that evening. He was surprised when Solbor passed him by. Dukat breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that Winn's assistant had not even noticed him. He rang the door and took a step back.

The door slid open and Winn glanced from left to right before pulling Dukat into her quarters. "Did Solbor see you?" she questioned.

He shook his head. "Was that whom I passed? I don't think he noticed me."

"Good. He tends to be too protective of whom I choose to see. I didn't think he would approve of a Cardassian visitor so I invited you here when I knew Solbor would be out," she conveyed. Winn invited him to sit down on the sofa.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me," Dukat mentioned.

She put up her hands. "It is no trouble really. Your friend made an interesting case for you. I'm replicating myself a cup of coffee, would you like one?" she asked.

"Please," he responded. She sat after handing him a steaming mug. "Thank you," Dukat added.

He looked away for a moment. When he turned back, he did not miss the intense curiosity in her eyes. "Before I explain my reasons for seeking you, I must seek your forgiveness in another sense," he began. Though she could not see his face, she gathered from his voice that something greatly disturbed him.

His voice: she liked the weaving resonance of it, but the voice sounded familiar. "What troubles you?" she inquired.

"I must apologize for my deception yesterday. I had to enter this station disguised as a Bajoran for my own personal safety. I thought you would not see me if you knew I was a Cardassian so I asked you for a visit in the form of a Bajoran. It was wrong of me to present myself falsely," he admitted.

She knit her brows before answering. She gauged that he had a natural charisma but was suppressing it for some reason. "Alright, I forgive you for pretending to be Bajoran. Now are you going to tell me what this is all about or are we going to discuss the properties of dermal regeneration all night?" she asked with a smirk that surprised him.

He looked at his greenish Cardassian hands, folded on one knee. Who was he trying to fool? The woman next to him was the Kai of Bajor and probably would not believe him. He then turned back to her. "I have done some terrible things in my life, things I have regretted so deeply that I have sought religion. However, I dabbled in the wrong religious sect for a while, until the Prophets found me. I had evil intentions when I came aboard, but the Prophets found me and helped me understand what I had done wrong and what my options were. I asked them to forgive me and they did. But they also wanted me to ask your forgiveness," he answered.

"But what do you want forgiveness _for_?" she questioned, growing frustrated.

He cleared his throat. "I worked aboard this station during the Occupation. I gave orders and those under me followed them without question. While trying to convert a race into what I assumed was a more productive society, I helped supplant their culture. I lost a daughter because of my own selfishness. There is blood on my hands from what I did during those years, which I deeply regret. And I killed a woman by accident because at the time I was possessed by the Pah wraiths. I helped my people work against the Federation," he took a deep breath, afraid to look her in the eye.

Dukat was caught off guard when she stood abruptly and slapped him across the face. "Get out! I don't know whom you spoke to, but it could not have been the Prophets. How dare you ask me to forgive you for destroying the lives of so many people? Aren't there some basic principles in your society that you know are wrong?" she demanded with vehemence. He froze where he sat, pondering whether or not she really wanted him to leave when she had just asked another question.

His answer came when she replicated a cup of coffee for herself and sat again. He sat up straight and she began to see some of the charisma she knew was there. "Madame, before you slap me again, I understand that I cannot ask you to forgive me in the name of those whom I have killed. But I must beg your forgiveness for not questioning orders, and for taking too much liberty regarding my own authority, for abusing it, to forgive me for being selfish and greedy, and for choosing the wrong religious sect for a while. I did indeed speak to the Prophets. As for my people, they ingrained in us ideas that I know now were wrong," he firmly stated.


	2. War Crimes and Disagreements

Disclaimer: All Star Trek stuff and Star Trek characters are the private property of Paramount studios.

Chapter 2: War Crimes and Disagreements

He could not read her expression. If he had, it would have surprised him yet again. She longed to know why a criminal like him was allowed to talk to the Prophets while she, the leader of Bajor, was denied that access. Finally she spoke.

"I must take a few days to consider what you have told me. I don't know if I can actually forgive you for the mess you seem to have fallen into. I don't even know your name. I cannot forgive you if I do not know your name," Winn related in an even tone.

"Eminence, I can't tell you just yet. If certain people find out I'm here, they _will_ have me killed. For the moment, I go by Anjohl," Dukat explained.

She stood and slapped him again. "How dare you mock me, mock my people! Using a Bajoran name! Why I ought to-" he interrupted her.

"You ought to have me killed where I stand? Perhaps you are correct. Perhaps death is better than life for me at this point. Good evening, Eminence, and thank you," he stood to leave. She watched him with silent fascination. Just before he reached the door, she placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"What did you do to talk to the Prophets?" she asked him, her eyes pleading for answers, her voice almost a whisper. In that instant he understood everything: she had become too corrupt to hear or see the Prophets, so he had been assigned the task of bringing her back to them. He heard such anguish and hunger in her simple question. He gave her a warm smile, causing her to blush for the harsh words she had previously spoken.

"Meet me at the temple tomorrow evening at twenty-two hundred and I'll show you," he persuaded.

Part of her knew not to trust him, but another part knew he had something that she wanted and could not obtain. "I will come," she found herself saying.

He gently lifted her hand and kissed it. "Then I shall see you tomorrow," he said as he left the room. Her gaze followed him long after the door had closed, very confused about the integrity of the cryptic gentleman.

Three hours after his job ended for the day, Dukat waited in the temple for Winn. At last he caught sight of her familiar golden robes. "Well? Will you show me what you know, or do I have to find the answers myself?" she asked with a smirking half-smile, raising one eyebrow. He wondered for a moment if she knew she was attractive.

They approached the box and he placed his hand on her shoulder as she opened it. Much to her total amazement, she found herself on the promenade, surrounded by a bluish light. Then she saw Sisko, Kira, and Bashir. Sisko walked over to her. "We are the Prophets. Heed what we will tell you," he stated.

She spoke before she would bother to listen. "Why didn't you visit me before?"

"Your practices as the Kai of Bajor lost our favor. You must listen carefully to him who has requested your forgiveness," Kira answered.

"But did you really forgive him?" Winn inquired.

Bashir spoke. "Does it rain because we want it to, or because we need it to?" and with that Winn suddenly found herself back in the temple.

A wave of dizziness washed over her after closing the orb's box. Dukat caught her. She noticed his arms wrapped around her, the security she felt. Then the moment passed she immediately drew herself out of her reverie. She pulled away and stood. "Thank you," she muttered under her breath.

He kissed her hand and began to leave the temple. "Good evening," he said.

She grabbled the elbow of his sleeve and stopped him. "What kind of a person are you?" she asked softly.

Their eyes locked through the hooded material for a long minute before he could answer. "A man of agriculture looking for something simple after a lifetime of complication," he replied plainly. She was puzzled when they exited, but devised a plan for the next day.

She walked over to the agricultural sector the next day during the employee lunch break. She found the Starfleet officer in charge. "Sir, may I ask you a question about one of your employees?"

He nodded. "What kind of a man is Anjohl?" she asked.

The officer shrugged. "He works hard at what he does and he does it well. He is amiable but keeps to himself. He's the smartest guy down here really. I think he should be with the engineers, but he wanted a job here. He is a good man," the officer replied.

"That's what I wanted to know," she remarked.

Benjamin Sisko was to marry Kassidy Yates the following day. But as Winn prepared to perform the ceremony, her mind kept drifting to her Cardassian guest. She performed every promise of good will and phrase of cooperativeness with perfection. Yet she still wondered about the true identity of her guest.

After the ceremony, as she watched the Emissary's reception out of most people's vantage points, a familiar cloaked figure suddenly appeared next to her. Neither said a word because nothing needed to be said. His hand lightly brushed hers and in that moment he took her hand in his, fingers entwined. She liked the warmth of his touch. They just stood, watching everything as if detached from it. Then he leaned toward her and kissed her cheek. This time she did not blush, but gripped his hand tighter. He was the one who let go and left.

That evening at twenty-eight hundred, just after Solbor left, Winn found Dukat at her door. She invited him in and handed him a cup of coffee. He accepted it as they sat on the sofa. Winn spoke first. "I talked to your boss the other day," she relayed.

"Why?" he simply asked.

"I needed to know more about whom I was talking to," she explained.

"And?" he encouraged.

"He says you're a good man, but that you are bright and ought to be working with the engineers. Why aren't you?" she questioned.

"Because I'm more likely to be recognized there," he paused. "Well?"

She stared into her half-empty coffee cup for a moment before replying. "Please don't hate me for saying this. I can't forgive you because I don't forgive war criminals," she remarked.

He sounded vehement. "What kind of answer is that?"

She calmly took a sip of her coffee. If he could have read her mind, he would have seen the guilt she carried from that comment. "I suppose it isn't an answer: it's an excuse," she stated.

After drinking an ample gulp of his coffee, he faced her. "Everyone who has ever served in a government and has given orders, whether they were to attack the enemy, finance the people's right to make weapons, or donated any sort of money to a war is a war criminal," he remarked, carefully observing her reaction.

His comment struck her indefinitely. She looked pale. At last she met his glance. "But what if your side is the oppressed side?" she inquired.

"You are still funding something that will kill people. My point is that all government officials in one way or another are essentially the same and whether or not someone is a war criminal is in the perspective of the opposition," he reiterated.

She felt cold inside and out. Perhaps this was why she feared this man who called himself Anjohl, and why she was attracted to him. He made her realize the truth that she kept hidden from herself. She involuntarily shivered. He placed his hand over hers for a moment. His touch was warm again and after a moment she retracted her hand. When her eyes met his she was speechless.

He stood to leave. "I had better go, Eminence. I will see you in a few days." Then he brushed her cheek with his hand. "Goodnight," he added before leaving.

Winn spent the next two days pondering her experiences. Finally the door chimed at twenty-eight hundred. She opened the door for him and he took a seat on the sofa. He watched her pensive actions with close scrutiny. Guilt over not revealing his true identity had begun to gnaw at him. He despised guilt, yet that emotion seemed to be driving him lately.

"Eminence, there is something-" she interrupted him.

"Adami," Winn said.

"What is that?" he questioned.

"It is my name," she admitted with a smile.

"And it is a lovely name," Dukat found himself saying.

"Thank you," she relayed. Then he noticed that she was blushing.

"I need you to know who I am. Unfortunately for me, you will most likely call security shortly," the said curtly. She suspected something was bothering him, but said noting.

Then she stared in shock and horror as he removed the hood and cape. She new that face, what it represented and what it was. She jumped up and staggered backward. "Gul Dukat! I thought you were dead! I ought to call security and have you eliminated right now!" she seethed, yet she simply stood there. Every logical element of her mind told her to call for security, call for anybody, yet she stood as still as a statue. Looking into her eyes, he knew she was upset but would do nothing.

"I am sorry I have upset you," he remarked as he slowly rose and left her.

At o two hundred hours, a message woke Winn. She, wearing her nightgown and bathrobe, walked to her door and opened it to find Dukat, as she had expected to. "I had to see you again. I feel terrible about all the instances that I had to use pretense to earn your trust," he apologized. "I'm not even sure why you are allowing me to visit you like this, since you knew it was me."

She ushered him into the room and replicated two cups of coffee as he took his seat. "I had to see you again," she replied, repeating what he had said, almost in a whisper. "I forgive you, for everything. I understand now that if I didn't forgive you, how could I expect forgiveness for my own corruption? A comment was made while I talked with the Prophets, about whether it rains because we want it to rain or need it to. The answer is because we need it to of course, the rain being forgiveness. I also know that I ought to resign as Kai. You were right to say what you have said," she remarked.

He finished his coffee and set the mug on the table. "Thank you," he stated.

She took that moment to look at her bathrobe. "Oh, I must look terrible! Here I am, wandering around in my nightclothes with my hair down-" he interrupted her.

"I like your hair down," he commented.

She blushed again. "Thank you. I never once dreamed that I would be having a late night discussion with Gul Dukat," she admitted wryly.

"If you had, your dream probably would have ended with my extermination somehow," he added with a smirk.

She smiled warmly. "No, not this time. But enough about dreams; you are under my official protection now. As long as I am alive they cannot harm you," she told him.

Genuine surprise registered in his eyes. "I didn't expect that, nor do I deserve that. I can't thank you enough," he expressed.

Dukat stood and walked toward the door a moment later. She reached for his hand and stopped him. "Goodnight, Dukat," she paused. "Please come back and visit me again. I like having you here," she whispered.

He smiled, watching her eyes. Something had changed in her so that she not only forgave him, but felt comfortable with him. He wondered if maybe he would not be alone forever after all. "Good night, Adami. I will visit you again," he promised.

When he brushed her cheek again she closed her eyes for a moment. His finger and thumb cradled her chin and the two drew closer. Then his lips touched hers for a gentle kiss. She drew him closer to her and kissed him deeply. He responded by drawing her toward him with one arm around her waist and kissing her with passion. She reached for him and kissed him again. After a while he wondered whether she planned to release him that evening. Then they broke away and he left.

He came to see her two days later, surprised to see her in an indigo blue garment instead of the gold robes. And her hair was simply pulled back opposed to the restricted pinned up braids he usually saw it in. He stepped inside and locked his arm around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and they shared a deep kiss. Unwinding herself, she replicated two cups of coffee and the two sat once again.

"Adami, you look lovely," Dukat complimented.

She grinned. "Thank you."

Why the change of colors though?" he inquired.

She took a sip of coffee before replying. "I resigned as the Kai of Bajor today," she stated.

Dukat nearly spat out his coffee. "Really? What will you do now? You aren't going back to Bajor, are you?" he asked worriedly.

Winn reached for his hand and entwined her fingers with his. She smiled softly and shook her head. "No, I will not be leaving. I am staying right here on Deep Space Nine, with you," she added. Winn scooted toward him and kissed him lightly before replacing her coffee in the replicator.

"Do you know who will replace you?" he asked when she seated herself again.

"No, but I can make suggestions," Winn replied.

Dukat looked around the room. "Will Solbor be staying with you?"

She shook her head. "Solbor and his assistant Kavan will return to Bajor in the next few days," she answered grinning.

He did not miss that glint in her eye. "So you're glad they're going?" Dukat questioned.

She laughed. "Without them I can do what I please to my own discretion," she remarked as he chuckled.

When he had finished his coffee, he stood to leave. As he reached the door, she stopped him. He kissed her before departing.

Dukat came to see Winn five days later. He remembered seeing Solbor pass him in the corridor. As soon as Dukat had entered the door and it closed behind him, Winn wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him deeply.

"So you're free of him at last?" Dukat asked as they walked toward the center of the room.

She laughed lightly. "Yes. And Kavan left too. Now I can rearrange the furniture and change the door codes," she joked.

Dukat was about to reply but abruptly stopped when the door suddenly opened. Kavan dashed back into the room.

"My apologies, Eminence, but I seemed to have forgotten my bag and-" he stopped as he saw Dukat standing with one arm around Winn's shoulders. Kavan's eyes showed a burning rage. But that hateful stare was directed more toward Winn than Dukat. "You filthy bag of decaying flesh, you should be dead!" he yelled.

"Obviously I'm not," Dukat remarked, stepping away from Winn.

Kavan reached into his bag, which sat by the door, for a phaser. "It is fitting that you will die here, where you spent so many years killing my people," he declared as he lifted the weapon. Winn abruptly stepped up.

"You can't kill him. He's under my official protection!" she called out, trying to save him.

Kavan's eyes grew wide and dangerous like red embers from a campfire. "You! You betrayed your people! How can you protect him and still say that you are Bajoran? Now I know why you have resigned," paused and set the phaser to kill. "I know what you promised him. He stays alive until you die. That means all I have to do is kill you," he reasoned, aiming the phaser at her.

Just as Kavan was about to fire it, Dukat grabbed his harm and the two struggled for it. A phaser blast erupted and hit the wall. "I have a new idea. All I have to do is kill her and then injure myself. They'll blame you instantly and think it was an act of retribution by a bitter Cardassian," he gloated.

"Kavan, you stop this madness right now!" Winn cried.

Another phaser blast hit the wall. "You'll never get away with this! Some day it _will_ catch up to you!" Dukat related as the struggle continued.

Then a most horrible thing occurred. Winn had stepped aside near a table, not certain what she should do. Dukat was loosing against Kavan, but as Dukat's hand was being involuntarily twisted, the phaser shot off again, this time at a table on the other side of the room. In that instant, Dukat saw Winn collapse onto the floor in pain. He seized the opportunity and his fist contacted with Kavan's nose and cheek. Dukat ran to Winn while what was left of Kavan ran out of the room.

He sat with her in his arms on the floor. "Oh Adami, I'm so sorry. I tried to prevent his from happening," he conveyed.

A tear ran down his cheek and he was about to say more when she reached up and put her thumb over his mouth. "I know. It wasn't your fault. I think I can survive this, however," she responded softly.


	3. Realizations

Disclaimer: All Star Trek stuff and Star Trek characters are the private property of Paramount studios.

Chapter 3: Realizations

Dukat nodded and set her down gently. He races over to the computer by the replicator and attempted to make contact. "Sickbay, are you there? Sickbay are you there?"

"Sickbay here, whatever is the matter?" Bashir's voice stated.

"Kai Winn has been shot by a phaser in her quarters," Dukat explained.

"I know where that is and I can get a medical team there shortly," Bashir explained.

When Bashir arrived he stopped dead in his tracks. Kneeling beside Winn was none other than Gul Dukat. He turned to notice Bashir staring. "I made the call. She needs emergency medial assistance. Now are you going to gawk at me or help me?" Dukat explained.

"I thought you were dead!" Bashir told Dukat.

"So I keep hearing," he related flatly.

"I ought to have you shot on sight," Bashir retaliated.

"You and everybody else," Dukat dryly stated. Just then Winn looked up at Bashir.

"Doctor, this man is protected by me and you will not hurt him in any way, shape, or form," she firmly addressed before passing out.

As the medical team brought Winn to sickbay, Bashir turned back to Dukat. "If you didn't shoot her, who did?" he demanded.

Dukat sighed. "That assistant's assistant, Kavan, whom you probably passed in the hall running the other direction."

Bashir nodded. "I'd better inform security to keep an eye out for him. And you, stay here for now," he instructed.

Dukat glanced over at Winn affectionately. "You don't have to worry about that, Doctor. I have no reason to be anywhere else."

An hour later, Kira stormed into sickbay. "Well, how is Winn?" Kira asked, worried.

Bashir hesitated a moment. "She's... alright. It was just a flesh wound and I should be able to release her soon. That's not what I want you to see. Look," he pointed to Dukat, who was sitting by the unconscious Winn.

Anger and rage filled Kira's eyes. She turned to him with a look of shock. "Why didn't you shoot him on sight?" she demanded.

Bashir sighed. "Because _she_ wouldn't let me," he explained, indicating Winn.

Kira began to pace back and forth. She ran her fingers through her hair and stomped back to Bashir. "Did she give you a reason?" Kira growled.

He sighed heavily. "I think you had better speak with her when she wakes up," he dogged her inquiry.

Kira stared at Dukat and Winn again, watching him brush her cheek with his hand. It made her stomach turn. "That's it! I want answers and I want them now!" she vexed. She marched over to Dukat before Bashir could stop her.

Dukat looked up from Winn to see an infuriated Kira glaring at him. "Hello, Colonel. I'm sorry we keep meeting under unpleasant circumstances," he spoke smoothly.

"You're going to be a heck of a lot sorrier if you don't tell me what's going on!" she barked.

Dukat glanced at Winn before facing Kira again. "I came aboard the station disguised as a Bajoran with the intention of turning her away from the Prophets. But they found me, showed me the error of my ways, and now I am not the man I once was," he began.

She slapped him across the face, causing a red streak to appear. "You should be dead! Why in the world would she want you alive? You're a monster!" she screamed.

"Believe me, Colonel. You are not the first person to wish me dead within the last few hours," he conveyed.

Kira suddenly glanced at the biobed as Winn stirred. She slowly sat up and looked around the room. Kira did not miss the endearing look that passed between Winn and Dukat. But then Winn turned her attention to Kira.

"Child, I can imagine how all this must look. As soon as I am released, we will have a nice chat in my quarters," Winn explained.

Kira sauntered off in a huff to talk to Bashir. "So you plan to release her soon?" she questioned. Bashir nodded. "What are we supposed to do about Dukat?" she asked with irritation.

As Kira was fuming about the situation, Dukat and Winn were quietly discussing the past events. He gently embraced her. "I'm so sorry you were injured," he conveyed.

She pulled back from him enough to gaze into his eyes. She smiled sweetly. "As I told you, it wasn't your fault. You have to stop blaming yourself," Winn tried to ease his discomfort.

"But if I had never gone to you-" Winn did not allow Dukat to finish his statement.

"If you hadn't come to me, I would still be a corrupt leader too blind to recognize my own infirmities to actually be a help to anyone else. I'm glad you found me," she consoled.

"But you should not have been-" she placed her thumb over his mouth.

"It wasn't your fault," she told him. Winn moved her thumb pulled him closer to her. "It's not your fault," she reassured as she kissed him warmly.

Kira watched the scene in horror. Bashir sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I really don't know. But I think this matter should be discussed by Winn and Sisko," Kira rolled her eyes and sighed.

"I'll talk to him," she stated dryly.

Sisko set down the crew report he had been reading as Kira marched into his office.

"Captain, we've got a big problem. Dukat's on the station and the former Kai Winn is protecting him!" she screamed.

Sisko's eyes opened wide. "Why didn't anybody shoot him on sight?" he demanded.

"Because for a reason I'm not certain of, Winn is protecting him," she reiterated. After pausing she added quietly, "I also think they might be romantically involved."

Sisko seethed and looked away for a moment. "I suppose that means _I_ have to talk to her. Do you know anything else?" he inquired, facing her again. She shook her head.

Just then the combadge beeped. "Bashir to Kira, Winn has been released and is in her quarters."

"Thanks, Julian. Kira out," she responded.

Sisko met Kira's eyes. "Let's go," they decided simultaneously.

Dukat had brought Winn a glass of water when the door chimed. She stood to answer it. "Ah, Emissary, come and have a seat," she paused and noticed Kira behind him. "You too, child, come in," she welcomed them. Dukat felt his nerves begin to rattle. He quickly moved toward the door.

"I really should return to work now," he stated, dashing from the room.

With Dukat gone, Sisko faced Winn. "Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" Winn asked him.

He shook his head, his eyes staring at Winn, as if he could dissect her where she sat. "Enough with the pleasantries, Winn. Have you lost your mind? You are protecting Gul Dukat! Why?" Sisko questioned.

Winn looked abashed. She realized she could not tell the Emissary everything, but she could explain enough to him. "Please try to understand, the Prophets told him to repent of his deeds. He did that and they forgave him, but they also wanted me to forgive him because only a Kai can offer a person life-long protection. He also had to ask my forgiveness so I would realize what a corrupt leader I had become," she could not look at Sisko, not now. She knew he was still angry and would not understand if she told him everything.

Sisko slammed his hand down on her table. "But he's Dukat! He's killed who knows how many-" she did not let him finish.

"He is not the man he was. He has genuinely changed," she argued adamantly.

"Dukat has played these tricks before! And how can you believe that this is what the Prophets wanted?" he spat.

Winn glared at him. "Because for the first time in a great many years, I spoke with them when I went to the orb!" she declared.

At that moment Sisko found himself in his office, but a familiar bright light shinned from the window. A woman he knew well walked toward him. "Sarah," he whispered. She nodded.

"Benjamin, you need to believe Winn. We want Dukat to stay here on the station, with her. That way neither one of them will be a threat to you," she explained.

Sisko was not satisfied. "But why can't we just kill him? It's what he deserves," he pointed out.

"That may or may not be true. But Benjamin, we did not teach you revenge. That was something you bound yourself too from bad experiences. Listen, learn from the past so as not to repeat it. And do not take revenge. You have a difficult journey still to travel and you will need everything you are to succeed in it," she told him.

Then he was back in the room with Winn and Kira staring at him. "Are you alright?" Kira inquired.

"Yes," he answered humbly. He turned back to Winn. "I owe you an apology. You were telling the truth about what was said to you," with that he left. Kira sat down next to Winn.

"Are you angry too, child?" Winn asked her.

She knew Kira could figure out that she had not told the Emissary everything. Kira sighed and smiled sadly. She took Winn's hand. "You left something out, didn't you?" she whispered.

Winn had endured the past days without allowing herself to cry. Now, alone with the person who knew her best, she permitted a few tears to fall. Quickly brushing them away, she returned to the question. "Child, you know me better than anyone else, and you always have. Yes, I hid something. I can only request that you do not hate me after I tell you. There was something that drew me to him, perhaps that we shared the same flaws. Whatever it was, and I do not think either one of us actually meant for it to happen, but we fell in love. Child, I love him very much. I'm not asking you to understand, nor do I expect you to. I'm only asking you not to be angry," she pleaded.

The news overwhelmed Kira with disgust. But she did not want to hurt Winn. "I won't be angry," she assured her. Then they hugged and Kira left quietly to deal with her own thoughts and emotions.

Winn was still seated on the couch when Dukat returned. He entered and walked over to her. "Adami," he whispered as he sat next to her.

She slowly turned to face him and he knew she had been crying. He embraced her. "What happened?" he asked with concern. He brushed the tears off her cheeks.

"I'm alright, really. I just worry that I have disappointed Nerys. She looks up to me and I think I have caused her to doubt what she knows as proper conduct and morality. I just hope I haven't done too much damage," she admitted, clinging to him.

"Do you regret resigning the position of Kai?" he inquired.

Their eyes met. "No," she answered in a whisper.

"Do you regret what has happened between us?" he questioned.

She shook her head and smiled. "Definitely not."

"Then why are you upset?" he asked in a whisper. She smiled again and wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed her deeply.

She answered when the kiss ended. "I'm not now." She looked into his eyes. "I love you. Don't ever leave me," she whispered.

"I won't. I love you too. I want to spend every day with you," he replied. Abruptly his eyes widened. "I have an idea. What if we were married?"

"The Emissary would never agree to that," Winn remarked.

"Then we'll find somebody who will," Dukat answered, grinning.

"I agree," she murmured. He pulled her toward him and kissed her with passion.

When they pulled away, he turned on a screen to see the latest news on Bajor. Dukat and Winn stared at the screen, questioning what they had just heard. "I can't believe Solbor is Kai," Dukat stated.

Winn raised an eyebrow. "He shouldn't be. I don't remember suggesting him," she worried. She stood and was walking to her room to find a PADD of whom she did suggest when she passed Solbor's room.

She had closed the door since he left, but for some reason felt compelled to open it. Dukat followed her and they gasped when the doors slid to the sides. "He certainly did not clean very well," Dukat remarked as he stepped over a broken table.

Winn looked at Solbor's bookshelf and noticed that he had left several books. "That's strange. He left all the books pertaining to the Prophets," she commented.

Dukat was walking toward her when he almost stepped on a small statue. "Adami, you'd better take a look at this," he suggested.

"That is an artifact belonging to sects of the Pah wraiths. I have a bad feeling that Bajor is in trouble," she relayed.

"We'd better tell the Emissary," Dukat advised.

…………………………………………………………

Epilogue:

Captain Sisko left in the Defiant to tackle the Dominion before Dukat and Winn could reach him. Upon his return, Dukat and Winn were married by him before he suddenly left again for Bajor. Sisko dealt with Solbor in the Fire Caves and they fell into the chasm. He found himself with the Prophets while Winn and Dukat lived out their natural lives on Deep Space 9. Winn nominated Colonel Kira for the position of Kai. Though reluctant, when the results of the election were in Kira's favor, she accepted the position.

End.


End file.
